Paulo and Marisa, our current HelpX hosts, work regular 9-5 jobs (except it often ends up being more like 8-6). But they have hobbies, too. We all have hobbies, right? Baseball, origami, scrapbooking, knitting...

It's just that I get this feeling that their hobbies are a bit different.

All in a day's work

For one, they raise and breed Bernese Mountain Dogs (the current count at home is twelve). Maybe you've never had a dog, in which case I'll tell you that twelve dogs at home(or, if you want to be specific, four Labrador-sized puppies and eight full grown beasts) is like having at least fifteen human toddlers running around at your feet. Except that they have four legs, tiny teeth, and are fantastically strong.

Marisa taking some of the crew for a dip in the river

John's nightly dog and puppy attack

But wait—There's more! Hobby number two is running a backyard vineyard that, in conjunction with a friend's vineyard, produces about 7,000 bottles of wine per year under the brand Le Strie, or "The Witches," named so regarding the witch hunts that went on in the Lombardy region in the Middle Ages. The wine comes from the Nebbiolo grape, which we typically consume in the States as Barolo wine (poor me!).

The truth is that it feels silly to try to explain any of this with words.

Could there be any other idea of perfection than homemade hobo backgammon in the Italian Alps?

The feelings stretch deeply to that pure and shiny spot inside of each of us that can only be described with the sound of belly-deep laughter or the sight of a dog sunning itself on a porch.

Allow me to introduce you to lardo. This is straight-up pork fat, rubbed with local herbs and spices and cured in a salt brine. You should eat some fat every day, so why not keep it simple rather than hide fat in greasy potato chips or a slice of cake? Throw it on a warm piece of bread and watch the fat soften into sweet sweet salvation.

Italian food just gets me. It makes me weak, speechless, giddy. It is food based simply on what is local and fresh. From there, you find the highest quality items among your participants, and then you cook with them. Could you ask for more?

Porcini and sausage risotto with a side of bresaola (you can tell a man is choosing the side dishes here) All local, all amazing.

I am volunteering as a way to travel. I am avoiding the "real world" and working for various families in exchange not for money, but for simple room and board. At least that's the gist. But what I'm also getting is culture.

High in these alpine towns, the water comes straight from the source, leading to these pure and rustic "fountains" found all over the mountainside. When going for a walk, I just strap a cup to my belt and have mountain juice any time I please.

Take my current situation, for example...

Genuine Italian meals—cooked with the skill of a chef—twice a day. Carefully chosen wine served at dinner that is not only local, but moreover made from the nebbiolo grapes (i.e. the grapes used for Barolo wine) that literally grow in our backyard. Two generous and amazing hosts to work and eat with. A view of the Alps from my bedroom window. Twelve absurdly silly and friendly Bernese Mountain Dogs to play with at any given moment (and no, "twelve" wasn't a typo).

Kitten bedding and a view of the Alps?? Hello, paradise.

Our first dinner: baked rigatoni bolognese

Paolo and a few of the family members. "Just a few" meaning "not even half." There are times when the house gets a little crowded ...

The original caprese salad (guess whose flag's these colors replicate?)...served with a side of local cheese. Cheese as a side for a cheese-based salad? This is getting serious.

And in exchange? I have to find 25 hours at some point in the week to devote to helping to prune and arrange the vineyard.

The view from our window during our three week stay here

I can do these hours in three days and have the rest of the week off, I can do five hours for five days, etc...The arrangement is my choice.

Jackpot, y'all.

Spare time? Find the local gelato mobile (chasing it uphill under the midday sun optional, but highly rewarding).

Beating the heat by logging some hours in the evening under a rising moon and serene sunset

And so, with Paolo as our local master chef (and Marisa, his wife and official taster), I believe I'll have some recipes to be sharing with you.

While the French take foods and spend hours concocting them into something new and rich and complex, the Italians just take what's good, keep it simple, and eat it.

Bresaola "salad" and a view that'll make you cry.

Case in point: Bresaola. This salt-cured, air-dried beef originated in the very Valltelina Valley that we currently call home. It comes from cattle that graze in the local Alpine meadows and since only the leanest, fat-trimmed cuts of meat are used, it ends up being a relatively "healthy" choice in the realm of charcuterie. The herbaceous mountain diet combined with the salt, herbs, and seasonings that are massaged onto the rind before aging it for two to four months produce a heartbreakingly flavorful end product. There is no need to incorporate this divine meat into some haughty dish. Slice it thin and eat it as it comes.

Bresaola with Arugula and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Ingredients (per person, multiply as necessary)

5-6 paper-thin slices of high-quality bresaola (you can even make your own...)

One Negroni, one Campari Fizz, and two plates of [relatively] free goodness.

After hearing from over three people that Milan wasn't worth a visit, I almost didn't take the time to research the city on my own and discover what they must not have: the elusive aperitivooriginated in Milan.

This is big, people.

What may have begun as a few chips or mixed nuts to accompany a beverage order has blossomed into a beautiful embarrassment of alcohol and "snacks" that are yours for the gluttonous taking.

Find them (all of them!) from 6-9 p.m. all throughout this undervalued city.

While there is a caveat—drink prices actually increase—you still get a strong specialty cocktail and a hefty appetizer (or two...or twenty) for around €8, which is easily the price of a cheap drink in New York.

Before you hit the streets, don't miss The Rules section at the bottom of this post!

We only had one day in Milan (see my guide to free Milan tourism), so we conquered all the must-sees while the sun shined, then went back to the hostel for a power-up (read: nap). Afterwards, we set out at six o'clock to hit Milan's best bars for the aperitivo.

The Duomo Cathedral of Milan

After much research on the must-not-miss spots, I've compiled a map that I will boldly and aptly dub the Best Spots in Milan for Aperitivo Map, and yes, you should follow it.

Since we had an all-day subway pass (only €4.50!), we hit up the artsy Brera district, then headed down toward the bustling and popular Navigli area.

Prepare yourself.

With only one night, we condensed our explorations to the lettered blue points, but if you have more time, check out all the highly-reviewed purple points that we unfortunately missed.

Always thinking ahead, we [vaguely] countered the effects of all the forthcoming eating and drinking by hoofing it to Fioraio Bianchi (pink marker). Aptly-named for its switch from flower shop by-day into chic restaurant/bar by-night, you'll find that it's mildly panned in reviews for sub-par dinners.

But you go for the aperitivo, not the dinner, fool.

This is why you sleep in airports and eat homemade granola when hungry: so you can afford a night of aperitivos.
At Fioraio Bianchi, we tried eggplant lasagna, grilled vegetables, squid salad, cerignola olives, sauteed pork, and smoked trout. Whew!

Definitely do not miss Fioraio Bianchi. The drinks were strong and the food was made with care. My first experience with a negroni (the house special) was literally mouth-numbing, and John was happy as a clam with his campari fizz.

The gourmet grub is set out buffet-style, and oh what a buffet it is! By far it was the classiest food of the night and in the most intimate setting. The bartender even gave me a flower (I think he pitied my appalling Italian).

You'll find Ristorante Claudio (green marker) up next on the map, but it's been reported as CLOSED FOREVER and I'm not updating the map, so I'm sorry.

The Naviglio Grande, approaching the Navigli district

John hanging out with my flowers at El Brellin

The metro then carried us and our newly-gained weight to the Navigli district.

Unable to ignore the air's buzzing energy, we realized that this is the area where people flock for the aperitivo.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's the "best" area, but it does mean come here if you want to mingle, be seen, and eat a lot...and probably drink too much.

Before you get too food-full, stop at La Vineria--a no-brainer for wine lovers. It serves regional wine and olive oil out of huge steel vats at "farmhouse prices," making two wonderful products more accessible to the average person and more sustainable for the average earth.

The taste may be a bit farmhouse as well, but sometimes you just gotta get down on the farm. The plates looked simple yet delicious and considering that a bottle of house wine is five euros (during aperitivo), this might just qualify as the place of your dreams.

Not to be lulled into a wine-eyed haze, we made our way to El Brellin (blue marker). Along the way we had intended to stop by a recommended spot called Banco, but we skipped it when we saw that the aperitivo food was crudité and bread (come on).

Such was not the case, however, at El Brellin.

This traditional Italian restaurant doubles as a hip and more-economical spot for aperitivo and takes advantage of its location on a tiny canal with extensive outdoor seating. The drinks are divine and while the buffet isn't exactly glamorous, it does offer some nice typical Italian options (let's just pretend we didn't see you, chips and salsa).

The house special is the moscow mule (recipe here) and the word "special" does not even begin to describe it.

Approaching El Brellin just in time for outdoor seating and a spot by their mini canal.

This, my friends, is the Moscow Mule with three absurdly generous slices of fresh ginger.

Crossing the canal, we looped around to a place called Slice. Again with the buffet.

I had been hoping to find a more personalized experience in at least one of these places, but it seems that most restaurants have hopped on the buffet train. Hell, whatever, it's easy to please a glutton.

Nonetheless, it made me miss the time I spent eating in Granada, Spain, Spain. The buffet at Slice might have been the biggest yet (take that superlative how you want), but the unfriendly service and blaring techno music lead us quickly out of the bar to a boat/bar/restaurant just a short walk upstream called Delle Mole (yellow marker).

Friends, I might have gotten the name mixed up on that one. As you might gather, it was the last stop of a few bars (who's counting?), but just look for the restaurant on a boat. Shouldn't be hard to miss.

Delle Mole's boatsauraunt

Although I hadn't done any research on this place (oh noooo!), it was amazing. Despite being filled with people, our small table overlooking the clear Ticino River water was somehow quietly intimate.

The buffet spread was bountiful with traditional Italian foods both hot and cold, and while my excitement on buffets had been waning since at least an hour before (and oh what an hour of suffering!), we mustered up enough enthusiasm to make it through our plates yet again.

Purist foodie complaints about buffets aside, we certainly managed to enjoy ourselves, and so will you.

If we're talking value for money, it's definitely all throughout the Milan aperitivo scene, and if you're going out for drinks anyway, why not hit the spots that have egregiously large buffets? There's bound to be something in there that that passionate Italian chef just can't refrain from putting his/her heart into.

**Update** On a revisit to the area in 2016, I found Ugo Bar right off Via Corsico. Apart from the cozy and quirky atmosphere, I had a stellar wine and a NON-BUFFET aperitivo option. What's more, it was delicious.

My updated advice? Hit Ugo Bar first.

At this point, it was a free-for-all (for the record, aperitivo hour was almost over and what would they have done with all that leftover food?! Better feed it to my hyena boyfriend...)

A view of the Navigli Grande by night and its bars jam packed with buffets for aperitivo hour. You will eat a lot, but I can't promise that you'll eat well...

After Delle Mole, we got on our wobbly legs (was it the drinks or the river?) and began the walk home, where—lo and behold—we were intercepted by a gelateria.

Cruel trick of the gods!

Surely it is a rule that every Italian aperitivo trek should be finished with gelato and I think it's important to follow rules.

Ronomata Gelateria, at the upper point of where all the canals meet, was buzzing and grand with its vintage decorations of cone-lined walls and golden cloches to cover each gelato.

I sampled the dark chocolate (my standard test to decide if the rest is worth it), and decided on a definitive "yes."

I'll note that this was our second gelateria visit of the day. So?

And thus the night ended.

Lured in by the vintage style and obvious popularity of Rinomata Gelateria

When a shop doesn't even need to show you the product, you know it's gonna be good.

I'll mention that loads of other small bars promising drink offers and proudly displaying colossal buffets lined the canal as we headed home from Navagli. I encourage you to cautiously assume that many of these places are full of tourists and unlovingly-made foods.

I did my research, so trust the Chowgypsy.

Some places have taken the aperitivo idea and flourished, others have taken it and completely missed the point. If you're on a study abroad trip, go ahead, eat your heart out for cheap, but if that's not the case, choose carefully.

Finally, a few rules for aperitivo hour:

These aren't Golden Corral buffets. You are being trusted to serve yourself smallish appetizer portions of the food, so don't be a stupid tourist about it. The Italians typically pick up only a few bites worth of food.

Try the specialty drink.

If your goal is to see what Milan nightlife has to offer, pace yourself. Keep it to one drink per restaurant and that will also keep you from getting second helpings of food you've already tried.

Don't eat for the sake of eating. Food options are endless, so only select the foods that you really want to try. (Don't be such an American.)

Most places do the aperitivo thing from 6-9pm, although some of the places on Navigli Canal go later (how long has that food been out, though?). If you're on a mission to eat at Milan's best aperitivo spots in one night, be brave, be hungry, begin early, and pace yourself.

Getting ready to tackle Navigli

Now that our Milan whirlwind is finished, we're heading to a small vineyard in Northeastern Italy to HelpX.

The sweet sticky air reminiscent of Georgia summers and somehow scented of chocolate engulfed me as I stepped out of the Milan airport onto the homeland.

Walking down Milan's Navigli canal. Where's my kayak?

Ok ok, genetically speaking, I'm only 25 percent Italian, but could there be a culture in which I feel more at home? Siestas, warm weather, easy living, fiery tempers (me??), and food. Take everything away but the food and Italy would still be the place that quickens my pulse and calls my blood to attention.

Just a normal girl, getting her second serving of gelato for the day...(this time at Rinomata Gelateria)

Perhaps I've always known that I would belong here. The Slow Food Movement, a movement whose ideals are one of the driving forces not only behind this trip, but (she said pretentiously) behind my life, was in fact originated in Italy. These people get it. I don't have to double-check that the garlic I'm buying isn't from China, I don't have to check if a cafe's coffee beans are locally roasted, and I don't have to exhaust myself trying to hunt down seasonal fruit or local yogurt.

We stumbled upon Norin Cafe (which doubles as a Pizzeria) for an espresso with whipped cream and a cafe marocchino

Blindsided by all the chocolately selections at Shockolat, I went for dark chocolate and hazelnut.

In Italy, I'm no longer a "food snob"...I'm normal.
(at least when it comes to food)

People watching on the Piazza del Duomo in front of Milan's famous cathedral (the Duomo) and the adjacent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a four-storey double arcade that serves as the world's oldest shopping mall

So, after a discontinuous night's sleep in the Milan airport, we set off for the city.(Note: after our 10pm arrival, John pointed out that 16 euros saved by sleeping in the airport instead of in a hostel was equivalent to at least as many Italian espressos. Airport camping it was.)

Stealing a shot of our campsite in the food court kidzone (if you want to sleep in Milan's airport, shoot for terminal one)

At the far end of Milan's Sempione park, you'll find Arco della Pace, aptly named for its relatively quiet location.

We had one day in Milan before heading off to our new host's house in Teglio, a small northeasten town near Lake Como, and although several friends told me that Milan wasn't worth a visit, I rightly refused to believe them. Indeed, one day ended up being enough, but only because we planned. I mapped out all of the must-sees (the free ones, that is) into a well-ordered walk, we had a quick midday nap, and then went out for the thing that really makes Milan worthwhile, the aperitivo.

Readers, meet the Moscow Mule, accompanied by a smorgasbord of random Italian foods.
More about the glorious aperitivo to come.

If you have the option to spend a day in Milan, do it. It may not rival other cities in terms of beauty, but the subway is cheap (4.50 euros for one day's unlimited rides!) and there is plenty to see and do to make it worthwhile. Follow my one day of free tourism map to see the sights and have enough money left-over for a few aperitivos once six o'clock rolls around. Consider walking the route because it's only about three miles and shouldn't you work off some calories to make room for more Italian food?

The One Day Free Tour of Milan (with map!)The colored push pins ("sights") and yellow dots (museums) are free. I'll be explaining the "push pin stops" in this post, so pick and choose your other stops. Purple dots are priced museums, and some have free visiting hours on certain dates, so check the websites. Always double check operating hours and dates (many close in August)!

View Milan Free Tour in a larger map
The first stop on your flash tour is the perfectly-situated Duomo (yellow pin). It's the most popular free tourist attraction in Milan, so the earlier you go the better. Cover your bare shoulders and thighs and you can take a look inside, and don't forget to snake around the back corner to check out the crypt (or if there's a long line, don't bother). For a small price you can ascend one of the towers for a great view of the city.

The Duomo di Milano from the plaza

Statue of St. Bartolomeo in the Duomo, 1562

After the Duomo, stroll around the square and make fun of people taking glamour shots of themselves, and then head onwards to Sforzesco Castle. It takes up a lot of ground, so pass through the Piazza Sforesco (blue pin) to get your bearings and follow my free route. The castle iss a stronghold of Milan military defense and history that dates back to 1368. Within the grounds, there are several museums that aren't free (unless you're under 25!), but near enough at three euros (see more pricing info here).

Views of one of the watchtowers from the castle grounds

Milling about the Piazza d'Armi in front of the Torre Filarete

Head straight out of the castle grounds and you'll reach Sempione Park. Take at least half an hour to stroll around and get your nature on, and if you have the time stop by the free Aquarium and Hydrobiological Station to see wet things from the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Exit the park to the left side of the castle (purple pin), and make your way to to either 1) a gelateria or 2) the plaza of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Choose your own adventure!

Castle Sforzesco grounds from a distance while walking around Parco Sempione. Be sure to take the quick walk to the far end to see the Arco della Pace (Arc of Peace)

For our part, option one it was. We were hopelessly ensnared by the beautiful beckoning display of Shockolat, which—you guessed it—specializes in chocolate-themed gelatos. It even carried what just might be the world's best chocolate producer, Amedei, so somebody there knows what's up.

The gelato was amazing. And since we had stuffed ourselves that morning with some of my homemade amaranth granola (hippies!), it ended up being enough cold cream and sugar to tie us over until aperitivo hour.

You think I can just walk away after seeing this? And it's only half of the display...

Next up we'll head to the Church and Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie (pink pin), where you can tour the grounds and church for free, but if you're feeling the slightest bit lavish, make a reservation to see Da Vinci's The Last Supper, which is just around the corner. It's only eight euros and if there is one thing you should spend money on during a free tour of Milan, it's this. Regrettably we didn't reserve quickly enough to see the masterpiece.

Just down the street you'll find the Church of San Maurizio (green pin), born as a convent in 1503 within a Benedictine Monastery. Keep your eyes peeled from the street because it's facade is inconspicuously plain, but the inside is like walking into a jewel box. Rich reds, bright golds, lavish frescoes, and prime examples of Baroque and Renaissance architecture run rampant within the building. No matter how many museums you've been to, Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monesterio Maggiore is simply not to be missed.

Don't miss that little side door on the left—the jaw'dropping continues!

None shall escape the sense of awe

Head: it's what's for dinner

Look familiar? Scenes from the ark by Aurelio Luini, circa 1556.

If you only have one day in Milan (and hey, even if you have two), just follow my map, and factor in the museums that interest you (remember: the yellow dots are free, purple are priced). If you're interested in paying, Milan Tourism Point has some great deals on city tours and discounts. For a cheap hostel in Milan, I highly suggest using hostelz.com, where we found (and were mostly happy with) the Euro Inn.

The most important thing about spending one day in Milan is that you must —must—conserve enough energy (and money!) for the aperitivos, which you can find from 6-9/10pm every night. Think tapas, buffet-style. Your wallet and stomach will never be so happy.